Orange County

Orlando-bound flight declares emergency, diverts

Spirit Airlines Spirit Airlines plane (Spirit Airlines/Spirit Airlines)

ORLANDO, Fla. — A plane heading to Orlando declared an emergency, two hours into its flight on Saturday.

It landed shortly thereafter in Pensacola instead.

The Spirit Airlines flight from Houston made the declaration around 8:30 a.m., right as the plane was flying through a pocket of severe weather.

Fort Lauderdale, United States - February 17, 2016: A Spirit Airlines Airbus A321 with the registration N658NK taking off at Fort Lauderdale Airport (FLL) in the United States.

Passengers said the pilot came over the intercom and notified them that the plane’s autopilot wasn’t working.

The plane remained on the ground for hours Saturday morning as mechanics worked to repair the system. It eventually was able to take off and land at Orlando International Airport roughly six hours late.

Passengers said no one was injured.

Spirit Airlines did not respond to a request for additional information about the issue.

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